| For some people securing a bargain is an
obsession. While in pre-Internet days, shoppers had to go from shop to
shop, make calls or check the newspaper to get the best prices. Then
the Internet arrived with price comparison websites specially designed
to locate the best bargains. One tool that has yet to make it’s
presence fully felt is the ever present mobile phone. In most cases the camera on your phone can
do something you may not have realised – it can scan barcodes.
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For the consumer, the humble barcode is the key to comparing prices.
This is something that the inventors, and most likely retailers, never
considered at the beginning. There are several mobile phone apps on the
market that allow you to scan an item with your camera phone and get a
product review, description and even prices from the Internet and other
stores in the area. And while there are some bugs to be worked out, the
fact is that big names are looking at comparing prices. Last month
Motorola invested an undisclosed sum in Scanbuy, a developer of mobile
barcode products and services.
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Microsoft Tag
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Microsoft and Google are also active. Microsoft began testing its
Microsoft Tag in 2007, while Google uses barcodes for various
promotions. Microsoft may even integrate barcodes into their upcoming
Windows Mobile/Phone 7 operating system. Given that Google has shopping
as part of its search, it isn't hard to see how barcode scanning could
be made a part of Google's Android operating system for mobile handsets.
What does this mean for small businesses?
Retailers may begin to see the loss of price as a competitive tool. By using barcode technology, it should be easier to find out what a competitor is charging. Interestingly, it could be possible to see what competitors have on special or what’s out of stock and update prices accordingly. It won’t be long before software automatically adjusts prices in response to a sale at a competing store. With price taking a back seat, retailers will need to compete in other areas.
